An FPC connector in JP 2009-205914 A (PTL 1) includes: an insulator having an FPC insertion groove into which an FPC having locked portions at both side edges is removably insertable; a plurality of contacts supported by the insulator in a state of being electrically connected to a circuit board; a lock member having a pair of lock claws that are detachably engageable with the respective pair of locked portions, and supported by the insulator so as to be rotatable between a lock position where the pair of lock claws face the respective locked portions in the FPC insertion/removal direction and an unlock position where the pair of lock claws do not face the respective locked portions in the FPC insertion/removal direction; and a pair of compression coil springs for biasing the lock member to rotate to the lock position.
When the end of the FPC is inserted into the insulator, the end of the FPC presses the lock claws, as a result of which the lock member located at the lock position rotates to the unlock position. When the lock claws no longer face the locked portions, the lock member automatically rotates to the lock position by the bias force of the compression coil springs, to be in a state (lock state) where the lock claws are engageable with the locked portions.
Thus, the FPC connector in PTL 1 can connect the FPC and the contacts by one operation of inserting the FPC into the insulator.
Moreover, by manually rotating the lock member to the unlock position and then applying, to the FPC, a force in the direction of escaping from the insulator, the FPC can be smoothly removed from the insulator.